authoritarianism lacks true power, so it depends on hostility and violence. so let us choose kindness and peace.
authoritarianism lacks true power, so it fosters despair attempting to shut us down and close us off. so let us keep our hearts open, let us choose connection with each other, with nature and all life, and live with joy.
we can find rest, strength, and joy in who we are – our true nature which is love, beyond all the ignorance and fear, beyond all the grasping and aversion. this is true power.
in a time bereft of nuance and discernment, where reactivity, cognitive dissonance, conflation, generalization, and bias are prioritized, i really appreciate Bend The Arc’s statement released earlier today.
it is dangerous to paint with such a large brush as so many are doing. words lose their meaning. the protest movement is not monolithic. by overall accounts, the majority of people reacting and responding to the absolute devastation of life we are bearing witness to, are doing so, because we are moved from the heart.
still. there are some that will take advantage of such moments to stir up hate and discrimination – including anti-Semitism and anti-Arab sentiments and this should be called out.
i will add though for those moved from our hearts – that a love, and by love i mean empathy and compassion, that doesn’t include all, is not love in its fullness, it is not empathy in its fullness, it is not compassion in its fullness. and if not fully inclusive, may not be any of these values at all.
may our hearts expand and open to all, and may wisdom arise.
this third rock from the sun, spinning through space and time, having just the right balance of arising conditions to support life as we are, as we have, and as we have known, thank you for Being.
a miracle, the majority of us have misunderstood, seeing ourselves as above, rather than among.
we are interdependent life ebbing and flowing, the trees and us breathing together, all of us a majority water.
a myriad of microcosmic ecosystems, threads of a tapestry, a whole.
“we, not i” should be our mantra as we seek to heal our “self”-made wounds.
co-healing, co-creating, weaving life anew with love.
Chag Pesach sameach to all my Jewish friends and all observing Passover! may it be blessed!
i’m sharing this profound, insightful, and needed Passover message from Shelly Tygielski.
may all beings be safe, happy, healthy, and free from suffering.
~j
⭕️♥️🙏🏼
Posted @withregram • @mindfulskatergirl A prayer for each of us on Passover – regardless of whether you celebrate or not. #humanity Posted this last #Passover and it’s so relevant right now, in 2024. #bibleverses #biblequotes #prayer
“For hate is not conquered by hate: hate is conquered by love. This is a law eternal.”
~ Siddhartha Gautama, The Buddha
(Dhammapada vs. 5)
often quoted, and a myriad of translations of this verse, it remains for me, the foundation and the guidepost for all other teachings.
this version comes from the translation i have on my shelf, translated from the Pali by Juan Mascaro, for Penguin Classics. in particular, i like this version of very last phrase, “This is a law eternal”, which elicits the idea that this love that is the solution, is at the very foundation of reality and existence itself without beginning, without end. it has an ancient tone to it. other translations use words such as eternal rule, unending truth, unalterable law, etc.
just before this, the Buddha gives insight into what can lead us to hatred. he says in verses 3-4:
“He insulted me, he hurt me, he defeated me, he robbed me.’ Those who think such thoughts will not be free from hate. ‘He insulted me, he hurt me, he defeated me, he robbed me.’ Those who think not such thoughts will be free from hate.”
so it seems that our ability and commitment to letting go, to not holding onto grievances, is itself an act of love for ourselves and others, and assists in creating an environment and world free from hate, where harm is not perpetually perpetrated. whereas, holding on to grievances, carrying anger and resentment, is not a path of love for ourselves and others, and will not bring us or the world peace.
this challenges us to find ways of undoing the harm and wrongs of this world, while also having accountability, and also doing so without seeding the ground with more harm and wrongdoing, or fostering hate.
may we all sit with this wisdom, and allow it to permeate every cell in our bodies, that we may live in such a way of love, that the world benefits from our lives and we no longer contribute to harm.
so much suffering at the hands of delusion, grasping, and aggression. so many lives endangered, harmed, and lost to the hands of war.
may all beings be safe, at peace, and free from suffering.
may our thirst for violence and retribution find its end.
may we also not lose our awareness of the suffering that has been, in light of the suffering that might be.
it is my hope and prayer that in the light of these latest escalations, that the Israeli hostages and millions of Palestinians facing imminent starvation, the tens of thousands of lives already lost, and the underlying issues and challenges, are not forgotten.
The Metta Garden 